I remember a month or so ago, I saw a couple on one of the university buses and I was heading to my DiffEQ class. They were very public about their displays of affection, and I couldn’t help but grimace a little. I mean, the girl was practically treating him as if he was a toddler, saying things like “Oh my baby did a great job”. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was controlling him. It certainly looked like that from a third person’s perspective. She kept on saying that and cuddling, to the point where it drove me insane. Seriously, can’t they do that when they’re alone?

I’ve never been able to call it that or say the word out loud, not even once. I’ve used other words to describe it, like “molestation” and “sexual assault,” words that don’t invalidate the experience but make it easier for me to talk about.

I came out about it over a year ago in an article for In Our Words and never used the word rape. When I talked about the experience with a friend who hadn’t read the piece, I referred to it simply as “assault.” She misunderstood and thought I’d been the victim of street abuse, a mugging or other forcible attack. I didn’t know how to tell her that her assumption was incorrect. I didn’t know how to just say it.

Even after coming out as a survivor of sexual assault, I’ve struggled with how to deal with my abuse. I…

Korean cinema is pretty special. The only real proof you need is that a lot of Hollywood movies will seem very “familiar” once your Korean movie watch list starts to grow. These South Korean success stories aren’t just a long list of classics either — the movie industry is alive and well — with films ranging from gruesome horrors to cute love stories.

Just to clarify one thing before I get on with it: the reason I haven’t included Oldboy is because you can find it on nearly every list related to Korean movies, and I wanted to give it a rest this time. If you haven’t seen it, of course I still recommend watching it as soon as possible. You won’t be disappointed.

The Man from Nowhere

The Man from Nowhere is story of a man who’s given up on the world. He hides away and runs a tiny…

I remember the first day I saw you or maybe it was just the first day I noticed you. You were wearing a green shirt; I was wearing an aqua blue top. You looking a little disheveled from the close distance and I was laughing causally with two friends; neither of us looked our best. I watched as you walked by slowly, I could have sworn you were looking at me, maybe even checking me out. I tried not to look up directly but I was definitely looking at you; I was definitely checking you out. I knew that I liked you.

I began noticing you more from that day – your hair, your smile, the way you walk, and the sound of your voice. Whenever we were in the same room, my eyes were drawn to you, and they still are, despite the passing of time. I still find…

I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to come out in 2008, bear through so much hatred possibly every single day, and then have to write to one of your most favorite people in the entire world who opposes your right to being fully human. It boggles my mind as to how easily people forget that there are human beings behind every single controversial debates. Did the extreme right forget how ignorant they are when it comes to procreation? Women do not just use birth control pills once per sexual intercourse. Simple junior high biology or sex education (if they have in their schools). Or do they forget that millions of people are being denied a pathway to citizenship primarily because their parents brought them here illegally in hopes of a better life? What happened to the human aspect of everything? After all, we are all still struggling to attain the same goal: live life as fully as possible. We are all in this together; I hope that everyone realizes that. The very few cannot pull the majority up. Gravity makes the majority’s hardships too heavy to lift. Which is why we must all try to make a difference, make change, and help society progress and move higher towards a better life. :3

I recently wrote to a childhood piano teacher, who had expressed a hard stance against gay marriage. I felt compelled to do so because she was truly one of my favorite people as a child. I think it’s important that we all take the time and patience to truly explain to people in our lives, past and present, how we feel without getting irrational or angry. Here is what I wrote:

Dear Mrs. X,

I hope you are doing well. I have thought long and hard about whether or not I would like to write to you, and finally decided that I would.

Gathering from your posts on Facebook, I can see that you are very anti-gay marriage, as many people in our country are. In 2008, after much personal struggle, I came out as a gay man. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, in a…